Matt Certo

Learn about Florida Entrepreneur Matt Certo:

Matt Certo formed his company, Findsome & Winmore, which was recently named one of GrowFL's Companies To Watch for 2016, as digital marketing became newly nascent. "We have our roots in digital marketing," he said. "We're not an agency that has simply bolted on digital department. We think digitally so we feel like there's not an agency that has more digital experience in our region than we do."

Indeed, Certo got his start by building Rollins College's first website out of his dorm room there. "I noticed Rollins did not have a website and approached them about building one as a student project," he said. "They looked around, saw their competitor colleges had websites and they awarded me a little money to build them one. The irony was I didn't know how to build a website so I spent the summer teaching myself how to do it."

Certo has grown his student project into a 30-employee, award-winning digital marketing firm. "We work very hard and are disciplined about developing our company culture," he said. "We work hard with our team to create a culture to succeed. We have enjoyed a period of growth in last 5 years that has been fueled by having the right people. I'm very grateful that we have such great people that show up and do great things for our clients. Having great people and putting them first before our customers is critical to our success."

Certo's advice for aspiring entrepreneurs centers on patience, focus and balance. "Go slowly and be patient," he said. "Everyone encourages speed but I encourage slow, methodical movement. The other point is to focus on profit as more important than growth from day one. Lastly, figure out a way to create some work life balance and make it the focus of your personal approach to business. You never get it right, but keep it front and center."

PLEASE MENTION YOU READ MY STORY ON FLVEC.COM WHEN YOU CALL, VISIT OR MESSAGE ME. THANKS!